I started sexy gypsy over two years ago. The idea was born out of anger and frustration. Frustration caused by the ignorance of my generation, our refusal to recognize greatness, our inability to appreciate the past. The last 60 years of American music has been the most dynamic and progressive in our country’s short history. Yet in this last decade, we’ve seemed to regress. Where are the innovators of sound? Where are the pioneers of movements? Where the poets of the voiceless?

We are so quick to consume, so eager to swallow whatever is laid before us. All it takes to have a hit record is a YouTube video, a spot on the Jersey Shore soundtrack and label-purchased radio play. That’s it. And we’ll just eat it up. Gone are the days of connecting with art on deep, emotional level. We’re just looking for something to kill the time on our daytime drives to work. And this is why our generation is lost, broken and faceless. Who is the defining artist of our time? Fall Out Boy? Paramore? Lil’ Wayne? Fucking Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em? It’s an impossible question to answer, because there is no answer. There is no one worthy to wear that crown. And it breaks my fucking heart.

We’ve made strides in so many other areas of our society, except the arts. We have black president. You can get a prescription for weed in 14 states. We have the fucking Internet! Yet I’m still here wondering where the hell Marvin Gaye went.

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Marvin was an innovator. He was a pioneer. He was a poet. He was all that we are missing from music today. His records ring as true in 2010 as they did 1971. I Heard It Through The Grapevine still makes you want to dance. What’s Going On? and Inner City Blues remain a poignant commentary on the American condition. Let’s Get It On is still the slow jam to end all slow jams. The man is timeless, his records classic. So why did he succeed where so many others flash talent, fail miserably and fall into obscurity?

First off, Marvin’s rise to prominence was littered with more struggle than success. 50 years ago, he faced the same challenges as contemporary artists. His label, Motown Records, was notorious for pigeonholing artists. Under the uncompromising direction of Berry Gordy, Motown tried to shape him into the prototypical R&B pop star—ignorant of his unique talents. And despite producing a handful of hits, Marvin languished creatively for the next seven years.

It wasn’t until 1967’s duet with Tammi Terrell, Unified, that he truly found his voice. Their undeniable chemistry was uncanny. They performed with passion and fervor and developed a close friendship. Later that year, their partnership ended when Terrell collapsed on stage and was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. In the three years between her diagnosis and eventual death in 1970, Motown decided to release the rest of their duets in two separate albums, You’re All I Need and Easy.

Terrell’s death had a profound effect on Marvin. He withdrew from public life and two years passed before he preformed again. During this time, he began work on what would become his masterpiece, What’s Going On?. The album was a vast departure from his previous work. It took more risks musically, creating a beautiful amalgamation of jazz, funk and orchestral arrangements. There was also a seriousness to the record, a focus not apparent before. He said this of the new sound:

“I had to put my own fantasies behind me if I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.”

Berry Gordy and Motown originally tried to block the release, calling it, “the worst record I ever heard.” But when Marvin threatened to leave the label, they relented and released the single without any marketing. What’s Going On? ended up exceeding all expectations and earning Marvin his first number-one single. The album went to be the best of his career and announced to the world soul music was a staying force in the industry.

The next eight years four more solo-albums, Trouble Man, *Let’s Get It On, I Want You and Here, My Dear. This period was the most productive in Marvin’s career. With Trouble Man, he joined Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield by providing the soundtrack to one of the many 1970s era blaxploitation films. Let’s Get It On became his best selling album and spawned the ubiquitous single of the same name. I Want You and Here, My Dear told the stories of Marvin’s relationships with two very different women—the former about his former mistress and soon-to-be second wife, Janis Hunter and the latter about his ex-wife Anna Gordy.

Unfortunately, after this successful run, Marvin was overcome with debt. Hopelessly addicted to cocaine and pursued by the IRS for back taxes, he declared bankruptcy and bounced around the globe. He spent time in Hawaii, begging for cash and getting high. He would later say this about those times:

“The problems were too big for me. I just wanted to be left alone to blow my brains away with high-octane toot. It would be a slow but relatively pleasant death, certainly less messy than a gun.”

In an effort ease his financial burden, Marvin embarked on a European tour. While in London in 1981, Motown remixed, edited and released an unfinished album, In Our Lifetime without his consent. Marvin was furious and vowed to never record for Motown again. Later that year, he moved to Belgium and negotiated his release from the label. During his time in Belgium, he was able to regain his sobriety and begin recording his next album, Midnight Love. Marvin released the album in October of 1982 with Sexual Healing as the lead single through Columbia records. The single was an international hit and rejuvenated his career, earning him his first Grammy awards. He was back on top, sober and at peace.

However, this peace was short lived. Marvin was forced to come home in November 1982 after his mother’s emergency surgery for bone cancer. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he restarted his drug abuse and fell into a deep depression. Despite these struggles, he managed a short tour promoting Midnight Love an iconic appearance at the 1983 NBA All-Star game (it’s embedded at the end of the post) before fully succumbing to his disease. After the tour and overcome with paranoia, he would stay secluded in his room and carry a gun at all times.

On April 1st, 1984 Marvin heard his parents arguing over misplaced documents. He intervened and ended up fighting with his father. After the altercation, he went to his mother told her he was leaving. Just then his father came into the room and, with the .38 pistol Marvin had given him for Christmas, shot him through the heart. He was taken to the California Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival. It was one day before his 45th birthday.

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An innovator. A pioneer. A poet. Taken before his time, Marvin Gaye’s effect on society will last forever. His influences span genres and generations. His voice has touched countless lives. And its echoes can be heard throughout pop culture. Without Marvin, there would be no Neo-Soul. There would be no Spaceship. There would be no awesome final scene of High Fidelity.

His career, through tragic, should be held up as an example of artistic integrity and vision. It is the goal to which we, as a generation, ought to aspire. If we can make half the impact Marvin did, our names will not be lost in time. We will not be known as consumers, but as creators.

So in celebration of Old School week, I challenge you to go experience Marvin. Listen to What’s Going On?. Listen to Let’s Get It On. Listen to Here, My Dear. Read his biography. Take the time to appreciate one of the greatest artists ever to live. Examine your world. Refuse to be satisfied. Ask yourself What’s Going On?

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